The Twoleg of Thunderclan II
by Aquabreeze93
Summary: Miranda, after crossing paths with an old friend, runs away from her family and searches for the clans. But, unbeknownst to her, she's being followed by a scientist who has figured out the secret of her connection to cats...
1. Chapter 1: Clanmates

**HI!!!! Yes folks, the Twoleg of Thunderclan is back!! You'll see why I had to make her a human again in this first chapter.**

The Twoleg of Thunderclan II: New Home, New Hope

Chapter 1: Clanmates

Miranda Peck scanned the cages of the city shelter, Hershey in her arms. The terrible conditions and state of the animals inside them almost brought Miranda to tears. The sheer thought of the probable fate of many of the cats, dogs, and other pets made Miranda shiver, and she squeezed Hershey tightly.

"Mrrow!" Hershey squealed. She turned and looked up at her owner. _Watch it!_ Hershey's cheerful but strong voice hissed in her head.

Miranda smiled. _Sorry. _She was glad to have learned to communicate telepathically with Hershey. Her parents had dismissed her story as an excuse or a dream, and ever since she had reappeared that first night of spring, they had withdrawn her from school and were supposedly 'home-schooling" her. But they were really just using her as a slave, and Miranda had to teach herself. The excuse they used for this treatment was "punishment for running away". Poor Miranda hadn't seen any of her human friends since she had gone off in search of Rusty that fateful day.

The only reason they were here at the pound was for "Hershey's benefit." To Miranda's knowledge, Hershey was their excuse for everything good that ever happened to her anymore.

Scanning, scanning the cages over and over again, Miranda's eyes rested on a silver tomcat named "Cloudy". Her eyes narrowed, examining him carefully. He seemed familiar somehow. Those yellow eyes, that silver fur, those gray stripes… gray stripes? Miranda gasped. _Graystripe!_

Graystripe woke with a start. Gazing upon Miranda and Hershey, his eyes widened. _Skypaw? Mudpaw?_ Graystripe walked towards the front of the cage, his golden eyes wide. _Why are you a human and Kittypet again? And where's Thunderclan?_

_Long story, _thought Miranda, rolling her eyes and smiling. _We're getting you out of here._

Miranda tapped her mother on the shoulder. "Mom, let's get that one," she said, pointing to Graystripe's cage.

Mrs. Peck frowned. "Well, what does Hershey think? This is for her, not you."

Miranda held Hershey up to Graystripe's cage. Both Graystripe and Hershey purred loudly, having heard Mrs. Peck's remark.

After what seemed an eternity, Mr. and Mrs. Peck finished talking with the shelter aide, and "Cloudy" was theirs. The aide handed Miranda a cat carrier, Graystripe inside, and the family left and climbed into their SUV.

On the way home, Graystripe said under his breath, _Great. I'm going to become a Kittypet._

_Not for long, _thought Miranda. _I have a plan._

_What might that be? _challenged Graystripe. Hershey looked at Miranda expectantly.

_Hershey, you know how terribly my parents have been treating me?_

_Yes…_

_And you also know that Graystripe was my mentor when I was a cat?_

_Yes… _said Hershey. Graystripe beamed.

_If we go back to Thunderclan, then Graystripe can be reunited with everyone, and we can be happy again._

_We're finally going back?! YES!! We get to see Firestar and Whitepaw and Leafpaw and Squirrelpaw and Shrewpaw and Fleckpaw aaand… Spiderpaw!!_ Hershey said 'Spiderpaw' with a sort of teasing, sing-song voice.

_Don't forget my kits,_ added Miranda.

_That's great, but the forest is gone! How do we find Thunderclan?_ Wondered Graystripe.

_Didn't you tell me once about your friend from your apprentice days who went in hiding? What was his name? Crowpaw? Blackbirdpaw?_ asked Miranda.

_Ravenpaw, _corrected Graystripe, a tad of annoyance in his voice.

_Right. That was it. So maybe he can give us a hint to where they went. _

_That's a great idea! _said Hershey with admiration.

_Then it's settled. We're going back to Thunderclan._

**Ta-Dah!! The Twoleg of Thunderclan is now officially back!! Expect Chapter 2 sometime in August. Rosepelt, out!!**


	2. Chapter 2: Going Home

**I've got to start updating more… I feel so terrible… first I had these weird camps and then school and the homework and AAUGH I feel so stupid. Here's Chapter 2, though… finally… hope you like it!!**

Chapter 2: Going Home

Bright and early the next morning, Miranda, Graystripe and Hershey snuck out the back door. Miranda brought nothing with them, except a little food and water and the clothes on her back. She left her parents no note, and had no idea where she was going. _Is the coast clear, Hershey? _she asked telepathically.

Hershey frantically looked around, and nodded.

Miranda sighed with relief. "Good. My brain was starting to hurt from speaking through my mind."

Hershey chuckled. Graystripe grunted, and looked up at Miranda expectantly.

"What?" she looked down at him, putting her hands inside the pockets of her blue parka.

"So, are you going to do it?"

"Do what?"

"_Change._ Turn back into Skypaw."

"Uh, I can't. Only Starclan has that power."

Graystripe looked down and closed his eyes for a moment. "They're not here," he said, opening them again. "Looks like we're on our own."

"We can cover more ground on my bike," said Miranda. "There's room for you two in the basket."

"What's a bike?" said Graystripe.

"It's… uh…" Miranda wasn't sure how to explain that to him.

"It's like a Twoleg monster, but much calmer," Hershey explained.

"Er, yeah, what she said," said Miranda, twirling her long black hair. She was more out of touch with her old clan life than she thought.

Miranda led Hershey and Graystripe to the shed and opened the creaky wooden door. Inside was a forest green mountain bike with a jet black basket, ironically accented with a lightning bolt. Miranda wheeled it out of the shed and set down the kickstand a few feet from Hershey and Graystripe.

Hershey leaped from the ground to the basket without a sound. Graystripe hesitated. "We have to sit in there?!" he protested.

"It's either that or we take months to find the clan because we walk. And we could get caught," Miranda said, laying down an ultimatum. Hershey scooted over in the basket to make room for her friend. Graystripe sighed, and hesitated again. Before he could say or do anything else, Miranda promptly scooped him and plopped him down beside Hershey.

Graystripe grumbled like an elder, ears flat. He felt as if he'd lost his dignity. Hershey giggled and flicked her tail across his nose.

Miranda kicked her helmet into the dust of the back of the driveway behind her. She put up the kickstand with her foot, and walked the bike to the front yard. Taking one last look at her old white house, she took off down the street.

Hershey calmly stuck her head out the site of the basket in a dog-like fashion, enjoying the wind in her fur. Graystripe was taken aback by the sudden rush of wind, and he yowled in protest, and dug his claws into the bottom of the basket, his fur flying backward.

Miranda laughed at Graystripe as she pedaled in the direction of the old barn, where Ravenpaw lived. At long last, she was free! Free from her tyrannical parents. Free from that house. Free from being a slave. She felt like she was leaving a prison, and on her way home, where she truly belonged.

But where was home? Miranda didn't know. But she did know one thing. _I'll find it's the last thing I do!_ She told herself. She was sure of it.

**Oh… my… gosh… am I done?! Am I really done?! Whoopie!!!! Finally!!! This took all my willpower to finish. I'm so sorry this is so short, and I'm sorrier still that you guys had to wait so long. I don't know when the next chapter will come out, as I am forever cursed to not meet deadlines. High School brings all the pressure in the world. Hopefully I'll be able to finish in less than a year… I hope… (see Swimstar? I got the next one out before 2008… barely XD) Rosepelt out!**


	3. Chapter 3: Sinister

Meh

**I live! Yes, I really do!! Please don't kill me, I know I've kept you waiting since December 30****th****, I'm sooo sorry! It's High School, and then when summer came I thought I'd have more time, but I guess I'm just lazy. I am so incredibly sorry. But I'm here now, so that's what matters! Right? RIGHT?! Anywaaaayyy… as my good friend Warriorfreak has told me, the first book was missing a key element… a villain! So, here you go! A villain! Yay! And I've also been working on my discriptiveness…ness, so hopefully this'll be better than chapters past. So… yeah. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER OF DOOM: Don't own Warriors or Erin Hunter, but Miranda/Skypaw is MINE. No touchy!**

Chapter 3: Sinister

The Doorbell to the Peck household rang with an ominous feeling. Mrs. Peck came to the mahogany door, dusting off her gingham cooking apron and peeking through the oval faceted window. An apprehensive expression crossed her face, and she cautiously turned the brass doorknob at a slower rate than usual.

"Dr. Gregory. Please come in."

A tall white man in his 40s entered the overdone Peck foyer that resembled a country antique shop. The man wore a black button-down shirt and black tailored pants, and pointy black cowboy boots on his feet. His face, marked by slight facial hair, a strong jaw and a pointy chin, wore a sinister smile, revealing dimples, an unusual trait for such a serious man as he. His striking blue eyes hid behind horn-rimmed glasses, and his short brown hair stood up like a grown-out buzzcut.

**(Yeah, so this guy is basically HRG, aka Noah Bennett from Heroes. Yeah. Sorry for my lack of originality. We now return to our scheduled story already in progress…)**

Mrs. Peck held out her hand. The man smiled wider and took off his coat, which was a giant fleece coat-cape that resembled those worn by TV crime drama actors. He was Dr. Lancer Gregory, expert at genetic mutations and teenage psychology, a killer duo of chosen fields.

Mrs. Peck led Dr. Gregory into the uncharacteristic living room, which consisted of gray scuffed walls and an equally drab carpet with so many black spots they looked more like polka dots than ground-in food and stains, making the floor look like concrete. A gray velvet sofa stood perpendicular from the only light source in the room, a glass sliding door to the backyard, which was partially covered by vertical venetian blinds. The most interesting thing in the room was a mahogany coffee table in front of the sofa, which was parallel to the metal TV cart, which held an old Sony from the 1980s. An old TV Guide from before the jump to magazine-size lay skewered on the small, basket-like bottom shelf. Two black leather chairs with metal armrests lay facing away from the glass door, facing the sofa.

Dr. Gregory took a seat in the middle of the sofa, his big hands clasped in his lap. A golden ring was on his left index finger, but his whole sense of being was so trickster some could be led to believe it was a prop. This man had such a tragic, mysterious past that his colleagues in the science and psychology fields couldn't tell you where he studied. Even friends that he'd known since elementary school couldn't so much as tell you his birthday.

"Can I get you something, Dr. Gregory? Coffee? Tea?" asked Mrs. Peck, her hands clasped in front of her, treating him cordially.

"Yes, some coffee, if you please," said Dr. Gregory. His voice was a low tenor, with a very slight villainous undertone that you really had to listen hard to catch, and only if you were specifically listening for it.

Nodding her head in almost a bowing motion, Mrs. Peck stepped into the kitchen, where she poured coffee into three teacups. For herself and Dr. Gregory, and for her husband.

She'd been born Cassandra Jane Marshall, and lived a terribly sheltered childhood, where her parents had dictated all she said and did with her life. She had been brought up as if the parents' happiness was all that mattered to the child. When she was married away to someone she barely knew and didn't particularly like, she forced herself to change her entire identity the minute she became Mrs. Stephen Peck. She left everything she had been and dreamed of becoming behind her, and plunged into a new identity- Cassandra Peck, Cassie Peck to family and friends. Cassie tried to exude this feeling of the parental priority on her daughter, but Miranda was smart, and had a mind of her own. This is why Miranda was a slave in her own home, especially after she decided to vanish for nearly a year in the woods. It was, in fact, because of Miranda's father, the mayor of Chelford, where they lived, that the woods had been torn down. Normally, Mayor Peck was somewhat friendly towards the environment and the wildlife in which it lived, and had previously blocked attempts by a building company to tear them down, but after Miranda's disappearance, he had but lobbied the plan almost on his own, hoping to find clues when the forest was leveled. In fact, Miranda had returned home only two days before the demolition, but had spent the whole day telling her story to them, and Mayor Peck forgot his now pointless plans, and absentmindedly let the forest be torn apart.

This Mayor Peck arrived now at the bottom at the carpeted stairs from the second floor of the house, where the bedrooms in the house now lay. He, in a forest green polo shirt and black jeans, walked over to the living room where Dr. Gregory and his wife sat quietly, sipping their coffee. Dr. Gregory stood and reached out his hand. Mayor Peck shook it sternly.

"Dr. Gregory. Thank you for coming." Uttered the mayor in such a civil yet distrusting manner he might as well have been greeting a political rival prior to a debate. The visitor smirked. "It's my pleasure, Mayor Peck. You present one of the most interesting cases I have yet encountered," he said with a strange mix of tones between Shakespeare and Darth Vader.

Mayor Peck removed his hand from Dr. Gregory's grip, and gracefully proceeded to sit in one of the living room chairs. Mrs. Peck brought out the teacups filled with coffee on a gilded steel tray, which she carefully placed on the table, and made her way to the other chair in a doglike fashion.

Dr. Gregory cleared his throat. "You said on the phone that your daughter, Miranda, had disappeared almost 18 months ago, and returned roughly a year afterwards, correct?"

Mayor Peck nodded. "Yes, she came back on the first day of spring, if I remember correctly."

"And she came back with a story?"

"She told us this crazy tale about how something called a "Starclan" had changed her into some feral cat and how she'd become an "apprentice" and lived among them. She even said she fell in love with another cat and given birth to kits." Mayor Peck chuckled at the sheer fantasy of his daughter's story.

"Fascinating."

The Pecks looked at the doctor, a shocked expression on their faces. "What? Are you saying her story- might be true?"

"I'm saying it _is _true."

Both Pecks looked even more bewildered then before.

"Don't you understand? This girl has an incredible gift- not only can she talk to these cats, but given the right balance, she can change into them! She has abilities beyond the human mind! This is a major breakthrough… I must meet her! No, wait… I need to take her back to my lab! There are tests that need to be administered, questions to be answered! Where is she?"

Mayor Peck turned to his wife, speechless. "Should we-" he whispered.

"You wanted her to be cured. This is our… I mean, _her_ chance!" She whispered back.

He nodded, and they turned back to the doctor, who wore an expression of sheer excitement. "Fine," said Mr. Peck, and turned to his wife again. "Cassie? Would you tell our daughter to come downstairs?"

Mrs. Peck nodded, and walked over to the bottom of the steps, and called up; "Miranda? Would you come downstairs please? There's someone here who wants to meet you."

There was no answer. Cassie climbed up the stairs and turned the corner to Miranda's room, where she knocked on the closed door. "Come on, Miranda. Come out." Hearing nothing, she opened the door, revealing the empty room.

The men heard the scream from upstairs. Within a millisecond, they were running up to the source. "What's wrong?!" shouted Mayor Peck when they reached her.

Cassie said nothing, but simply pointed to the empty room, her bottom lip trembling. "Not again!" yelled Mr. Peck, and he followed Miranda's probable path down the stairs, through the living room and out the back door.

The three made their way down the path to the shed, and Mr. Peck thrust open the door. "Damn," he cursed, noticing the blank shadowy space where the bike should be.

Dr. Gregory simply nodded, frowning, and strode down the gravel driveway to the front yard, where a shiny black motorcycle stood with kickstand down. He jumped on the motorcycle and fastened his helmet, starting up the obnoxious motor. "I'll find your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Peck," he said, knowing full well they were standing at the end of the driveway with overwhelmed expressions. "I'll bring her back here, and we'll find out just what's making her so talented." With that, he rode off, unfortunately in the exact same direction as Miranda.

Miles away, Miranda coasted along the forest road that once divided Thunderclan and Shadowclan, feeling the wind in her hair. Graystripe had long ago settled down for a catnap at the base of the basket, while Hershey licked herself patiently. No one knew of the events that had just taken place back at the house, nor of the danger that was headed straight for them.

**Dun-dun-dunn!! So there you have it! An actual villain! 8D So, I have no friggin' clue when I am next going to update this or what happens next, but I'll try if I can… so, review please? You guys keep me going and maybe I'll update within 10 months if I get enough reviews. 8D So I guess that's it. Rosepelt out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Guidance

**Hey** **Everyone, Happy New Year!!! I hope you all had a nice holiday… this is my gift to you, a new chapter. How substantial… not. Weelll, anyway, this is where it starts getting interesting… and a special thanks to The Cinderninja for some really great ideas. Now I present… Chapter 4! Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Guidance

Miranda pedaled her bike frantically as the slightly rusted mountain bike cruised down the highway. On one side were dense trees, on the other, a sad marsh. Miranda was confused. "Huh. I thought the forest was gone." Graystripe and Hershey looked at each other. Could they have been wrong?

As Miranda's bike climbed up a hill, Hershey squinted into the distance. "Miranda… there's something wrong."

"What?" Miranda blinked, confused. Her bike reached the top of the hill, and stopped suddenly. All three gasped in shock.

The line of trees sharply ended just below them. After that, as far as the eye could see, was nothing but barren, sawdust-covered ground and tree stumps in neat little rows. The forest was slowly being destroyed.

"Oh no…" Hershey moaned. "This is awful." Miranda's eyes filled with tears. Graystripe stood solemnly, trying not to show his emotion, but anyone who looked in his eyes could see they were filled to the brim with grief, sadness and pain.

Miranda wiped the tears from her eyes. She sat taller on her bike, gathering the strength within her. "The scent marks must have been destroyed by the construction equipment. Our only hope is finding Ravenpaw and Clover."

"_Barley_." hissed Graystripe.

"Sorry."

Miranda pushed her foot off the asphalt, and the bike zoomed down the hill. The wind was hot and merciless with no trees to hold it back, and all three were constantly wiping the stray sawdust out of their eyes. Bulldozers stood silent against the fittingly cloudy sky, as if waiting until the bike was out of sight to continue their merciless destruction.

The road flattened out after that. After an endless stretch of tree stumps, a chainlink fence appeared on the horizon. As soon as the bike passed the fence, they saw a welcome sight- green grass and little clumps of trees stretched out, untouched as ever. Graystripe sniffed the air. "We should be there soon." He said in a monotone voice.

Sure enough, an old, beat-up shack appeared a few minutes later, on the left of the Thunderpath. On the other side was a rocky gorge, which Graystripe happily identified as Highstones.

Miranda cautiously stopped the bike in front of the shack, and led it around to an even more beat-up shed at Graystripe's recommendation. Red Paint was chipping off the sides of the badly-designed attempt at a barn. She removed her helmet and called out:

"Ravenpaw? Barley? Are you there?"

No answer, but Hershey and Graystripe could pick up frantic scuffling inside from their perch in the basket.

"My name is Miranda Peck. I need to speak with you about finding Thunderclan."

The Ears of her cat companions picked up two voices.

"Did that Twoleg just talk?"

"How else do you explain how we could understand it? Remember when Firestar passed through here? He said something about a Twoleg that was changed into a cat by Starclan."

Graystripe's ears perked up. He launched himself from the basket, and ran just in front of Miranda. "Firestar was here?!" he yelled at the barn.

Two toms, one all black, the other white with black patches, stuck their heads out of the front of the shed. "Graystripe?!" said the black one.

"Ravenpaw!" yelled Graystripe, and ran to embrace him. Seeing as it was safe, Hershey crawled out of the basket, and went to introduce herself to Ravenpaw and Barley, while Miranda stood awkwardly.

Barley glared at Miranda. "What's this Twoleg doing here?!"

"Well, I, uh-" she stuttered.

"Is this the Twoleg that was changed by Starclan?" Ravenpaw asked in wonder.

"Yes. She could speak our tongue even before Starclan changed her. She chose to become a human once again after the Clans left."

"Why'd it decide that?!" Spat Barley.

"I'm right here!" snapped Miranda.

Barley glared at her again. "So, Twoleg, what are you doing here, carrying two cats in your monster?" He nodded at the bike.

Miranda sighed in exasperation. "I already told you, we're trying to find Thunderclan. Did you see which way they went?"

"They went towards the mountains," said Ravenpaw, nodding towards Highstones. "We don't know what happened after that."

They stayed there for the rest of the day, talking about old times. Miranda sat in silence, listening to the stories they told. As the sun went down, Barley looked skyward. "You may camp here for the night," he said.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Miranda blurted.

"Why would we want to do that? We have all the food we could ever want, and we never have to share. It's a comfortable life," Barley explained.

"Barley, I'm not so sure. I love it here, but I miss my clan." He turned to Graystripe. "And Tigerclaw's dead, right?"

"Tigerstar_._ And yes, he's dead," Graystripe answered.

"…Tiger_star_?!" Exclaimed Ravenpaw.

"I'll tell you later."

Barley led them into the dark shed. Miranda felt cold and cramped in the space, but the cats lounged around as if it was a palace.

Hershey dropped a rat at Miranda's feet. "Here. I caught it for you, since you can't hunt."

Miranda looked at the rat in disgust. "Hershey… I can't eat that as a Human, er- Twoleg."

Hershey shrugged. "Okay, more for me," she took the rat and carried it off to the makeshift fresh-kill pile they'd formed.

The cats talked well into the night, and Miranda stayed up to listen. But after a while, she began to embrace her increased drowsiness. As she gave into sleep at last, she thought she could hear a motorcycle purring to a stop outside.

**Dun-dun-dun!!! Hope you enjoyed, more on the way… before 2010. Over and Out!**


	5. Chapter 5: Hunted

**You expected me in… November or something? Too bad! I got the idea right after I post Chapter 4, and had to put it down on paper, so guess what? You guys get it earlier! Yaaaay! And now, without further ado, I present the most exciting chapter yet! Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: Hunted

Miranda awoke to strange, sudden warmth. But it wasn't the fuzzy, comforting warmth she'd woken to on the day of her transformation. It was like waking up inside an oven. She raised her head, which had landed face-down in the thin, worn-out grass when she'd fallen asleep. Parts of her hair fell in front of her face like messy, oversized bangs. Grumbling, she began to pick out dead leaves and twigs that had tangled their way into her hair while she'd slept. She turned her head across the barn, where four tufts of fur- black, white with black splotches, gray tabby, and dusky yellow- lay cuddled together.

Miranda paused for a moment. Something was wrong. How could she see colors when the barn had no lighting? Wasn't it supposed to be pitch-black to her human eyes? She became aware of her nose. A strange, smoky scent filled her nose, and she coughed, making Barley and Graystripe awaken with a start. Miranda peeked out of a small triangle-shaped hole in the shed and gasped.

_**FIRE!**_

The house was ablaze, with the orange flames licking the outsides of the windows. The white paint melted off the disintegrating wood, and a billow of black smoke shot up through the roof. "Guys, the house is on fire!" Miranda yelled. She ran across the barn and scooped up the four cats in her arms, all of whom protested with angry yowls. Miranda ran outside to the yard, and stopped short. Where was her bike? An empty space marked where her bike used to be. Her black helmet lay upside-down, reflecting the burning house on its dome. Then, she heard a distinct cackling sound and footsteps breaking twigs.

Miranda panicked again, and ran and hid in the bushes. She released her arms, letting the four wriggling cats on the ground. They did not disperse, but stayed by Miranda's side. Barley, Ravenpaw and Graystripe sat quietly grateful, and Hershey purred loudly to show her gratitude.

The footsteps grew louder, and soon the shadow of a tall figure appeared through the smoke. A black cowboy boot stepped through the final layer. Dr. Gregory stood with an evil smirk on his face and his hands in his pockets, orange light reflected in his glasses. Miranda silently gasped.

Dr. Gregory chuckled, and walked towards the barn. "Of course, you're hiding in the barn. Come on out, Miranda. And none of your cat friends get hurt."

The four cats and one girl exchanged a confused glance. How much did this man know about them?

Dr. Gregory stood in front of the barn for a while, as if waiting for Miranda to walk out and surrender. "All right. Have it your way." He walked ominously to the entrance, and took a small black lighter out of his pocket. He flipped it open, and moved the flame to the wood. The barn shot up in flames.

The five watched with horror as Ravenpaw and Barley's home burned to ash. They heard the panicked high-pitched squeaking of the rats as they burned alive with their home. Miranda scooped up the cats again and ran across the road. She fled into the gorge of Highstones, almost tripping and falling several times on loose rocks. They made it into the cave, but Miranda collapsed and fainted when she set her eyes on the Moonstone, still glowing brightly, despite the fact that StarClan had left it behind. She released the four cats from her arms and lay face down. Hershey, Ravenpaw, Graystripe and Barley sat silently and watched her sleep until sunlight peeked through the cavern.

**Dun-dun-dun!!! Kind of short, I know, but still! Chapter 6 should be on its way soon. Until then…**

_**(Water Tribe)**_


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